Search This Blog

Subscribe to this blog

Follow by Email

Earth Day purchase? New Chrysler Peapod uses iPhone as a car key

You thought the two-seater, two-wheeled PUMA — Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility — from General Motors and Segway was small, efficient and commuter-friendly for urban drivers.Chrysler's new electronic Peapod car goes on sale today to mark Earth Day. This little cutie is Chrysler's entry into the market for an increasing number of Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs).

A couple notable perks: While the PUMA can reach 56 km/hr, the Peapod car won't land you a speeding ticket. Its top speed is about 40 km/hr. Top marathoners can run 21 km/hr, but they won't take you on their backs to run errands or get you to the office. What do they say about the turtle in the race against the speedy hare? Slow and steady gets you there every time.

The other nerdy-cool factor is the technology that lets you dock your iPod and use it as your ignition key. Exclusive? Cnet reports the Rinspeed concept care was first to suggest the iPhone-as-key trick at the 2009 Geneva auto show. The Peapod, retailing at US$12,500, is the first to use the technology in production.

Don't rush out to make this Earth Day purchase before checking the legalities and logistics. You may not be able to drive the Peapod on all city streets.

Driving.ca reports that Quebec okayed low-speed electric cars on some roads — parks, campuses, gated communities — in the province last summer, as part of a three-to-five-year pilot project. Quebec became the second province, after British Columbia, to allow low-speed cars. Ontario followed soon after.

So how far with cool and cute take you? Mini-cars can't protect people in crashes as well as bigger, heavier models — a U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety report confirmed last week — but these NEVs use no gasoline and emit no pollutants, so happy Earth Day.NATIONAL POST.COM

Comments

Popular Posts

In a Lousy Economy, People Dig a Bit Deeper to Turn Up DealsBy Nancy TrejosWashington Post Staff WriterSunday, April 19, 2009

Last fall, the Woodbine, Md., mother of three figured out a great way to get some: online giveaways. She has entered about 40 so far. She has won T-shirts, cleaning products, a small portable vacuum, olive oil, beef jerky and -- best of all -- a Nintendo DS on Web sites such as http://MeTime.com, http://TheMotherhood.com and http://5minutesformom.com.

"The lure of free stuff is quite appealing," she said. "I never considered myself a winner. I don't think I ever won bingo. My name was never drawn from a hat. However, I've been extraordinarily successful at the giveaways."

The recession has emboldened a certain kind of consumer: The mooch. With dwindling retirement savings, a higher cost of living and wobbly job market, they don't just want discounts on items they used to pay full price for without a second thought. They want freebi…

A RECENT NOR EASTER HIT THE NEW ENGLAND COAST AND AS THOUGHT THIS WRECK SURFACED AGAIN FROM ITS BURIED DEMISE--The skeleton only appears periodically - the last time was in 2013 - always after a significant coastal storm, and always attracting attention. Archaeological work conducted in 1980 indicated the wreck is a sloop of about Revolutionary War age. It is likely a “pinky,” a type of vessel with a high, narrow stern and square rigging easily maneuverable along the coast of Maine. Pinkies were popular as fishing and cargo vessels.
The first sighting of the skeleton was in 1958, and then it has surfaced periodically right up to the present day - and usually after a good spring nor’easter.
Word spread quickly about this sighting via social media, and people came over the weekend and on Monday as well. First, they had to navigate the seaweed- and rock-strewn streets of York Beach. They were also precluded from parking cars in most of the Ellis Park lot, which was buried under a layer …

I've always felt a special fascination for mosaics. From Roman tile compositions to current digital collages, I think they're an awesome artistic expression.
That's why I was so happy when I found Andreamosaic.
This tool enables you to create amazing mosaics from your digital pictures in a very easy way.
It requires having a large collection of photos to use as tiles, that's true. Fortunately the installation file already includes a pack of 500 sample photos that produce excellent results.
The program's interface is quite dull; in fact it's simply a gray window with too much text on it. But the mechanics are easy to understand so you'll be creating your own mosaics in no time!
Plus, the program includes a 20-page manual that explains everything thoroughly. Just remember that the more tiles you use, the longer it will take to generate the mosaic and the larger the final file will be.